VFM, the organisers behind The Isle of Wight International Scooter Rally have announced today (read the press release below) that the August Bank Holiday rally will be relocating for 2020. The main hub of the rally has been at Smallbrook Stadium for the last two decades but the redevelopment of the site and the granting of planning permission for a new multi-million-pound ice rink (to replace the perfectly good existing one located right in the heart of Ryde town) at the site means it’s no longer able to cope with the size of the rally.
Sandown Airport
Isle Of White Scooter Rally main site moves
It’s a positive move though, the rally will be held at Sandown Airport, located just 1.2 miles out of the pretty seaside town. The huge grass field site boasts plenty of room for campers (and camper vans etc), hardstanding for the trade area, a cafe, an aircraft hanger (which will be utilised as a northern soul room), there will also be a marquee for the main evening entertainment and the site will also have the best washing and shower facilities brought in for the weekend.
Moving to that side of the island (it’s just 6 miles from Smallbrook) will also mean there’s more chance of getting B&B or hotel accommodation, as long as you get in quickly. Get on to Booking.com as soon as you’ve read this, there’s also a Premier Inn in Sandown. Coaches will be laid on so rally goers can explore this ‘new’ town and still get back to site, although it is within walking distance.
We’ll bring you more information as we get it but hopefully, this move will get people excited for August Bank Holiday once again. It may still be the same little island across The Solent but it’s a whole new place for most of us to explore.Click here for the latest on Booking.com
THESE fascinating pictures show a little-known youth tribe called Scooterboys, who roamed the country during the 80s and 90s.
The group was dubbed as “the lost tribe of British youth culture”, however tens of thousands of scooter riders insist they collectively rejected that label.
Scarborough sea-front in 1983 during the period when Scooterboy overtook Mod in numbersCredit: John Stevens / Carpet Bombing CultureThe classic ‘80s Scooterboy look was an MA1 flight jacket covered in rally patchesCredit: Greg Hollingdale-Cooper / Carpet Bombing Culture
Interesting pictures reveal the freedom Scooterboys had 30 to 40 years ago, showing rallies taking place in Hampshire and Dorset.
The photographs are featured in Scooterboys: The Lost Tribe book, created by Martin “Sticky” Round.
The book paints a picture of what the youth tribe experienced in their customised Vespa and Lambretta scooters as they set off on adventures each weekend.
The book mentions the shared experiences of riots, local hostility and police harassment, which built strong fraternal bonds that lasted a lifetime.
Scooterboys were members of a 1960s mod subculture, who rode motor scooters and wore anoraks, wide jeans, and boots.
One recent photograph shows crowds of scooterists in the Isle of Wight, while another takes you back to the 1970s and shows how the youth tribe compared to today.
Riders boarding the ferry after the riot at Isle of Wight 1986Credit: Piggsy / Carpet Bombing CultureIsle of Wight pictured in 1984 – probably Britain’s biggest ever rallyScooterboys chilling at Margate National Rally in 1990Credit: Dave Chapman / Carpet Bombing CultureScooters and Soul music have lived a conjoined existence since the 1960s, but intricately airbrushed photo-realistic murals are typically ScooterboyCredit: Carpet Bombing CultureBefore political correctness it was acceptable to ride a paint splattered chop called ‘Time of the Month’Credit: Nick Purser / Carpet Bombing CultureThe Great Skinhead Reunion Brighton June 5-6-7 2020. Hit the picture for tickets
Scooterboys loved highly tuned street-race scooters such as these DTC-painted Lambretta GPsCredit: Sticky / Carpet Bombing CultureAfter the 60s Mods came Skinheads, Suedeheads and Smoothies. In the early 70s the customising fashion was the accessorised Lambretta ‘skelly’Credit: Sticky / Carpet Bombing CultureSteve Maw’s Lambretta chopper ‘Illusion’ at Great Yarmouth in 1985Credit: Stuart Lanning / Carpet Bombing CultureScooterists from Hampshire and Dorset explore Girvan in ScotlandCredit: Nick Purser / Carpet Bombing CultureVespa cutdown ‘Little Rascal’ pictured at MorecambeCredit: Piggsy / Carpet Bombing CultureScooterists at the end of the Isle of Wight ride-out in 2012 respond to DJ Tony ClassCredit: Sticky / Carpet Bombing CultureClassic early-80s Scooterboy style in BrightonCredit: Mike Lovell / Carpet Bombing Culture
Symond And Nev Wycombe Skinheads 1981. Photo Credit Gavin WatsonWhen Scooterboys built radical projects it often meant use of an angle grinder and welderCredit: Carpet Bombing CultureCustom Lambretta named after the Jam record as Funeral PyreCredit: Nick Purser / Carpet Bombing CultureGetting stopped by the police was an occupational hazzardCredit: John Stevenson / Carpet Bombing CultureThe Alcoholic Rats all-girl scooter club at Great YarmouthCredit: Jo Jackson / Carpet Bombing CultureThe book’s cover, depicting a police check of riders attending Redcar National rally in 1985Credit: Carpet Bombing CultureIf you have photos and stories to tell or want to add to this, we would love to hear from you and add them to the site. Please email subcultz@gmail.com
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